UMES pledges to aid student veterans with transition to college life

PRINCESS ANNE, MD – (Feb. 1, 2011) – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is among a group of two- and four-year colleges across the state publicly pledging to be more responsive to the unique needs of students who served in the U.S. military.

“Signing this compact is something UMES gladly – and proudly – did,” said Anthony Jenkins, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at UMES.

Brown, an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves who has served in Iraq, has made helping veterans with the transition to civilian life one of his initiatives. He has been working to bring veterans’ advocates and higher education officials together to identify challenges former soldiers face when they enroll in college.

“Veterans bring a unique maturity and life experience to the classroom – an experience that in most cases enhances classroom discussions and benefits every student’s learning. But as each war is different, so is every generation of veteran,” Brown said.

The state, Brown said, has “an obligation to serve those who served and we must do more to ease student veterans’ transitions from combat to campus.”

Brown praised college administrators for their willingness to “work together to improve the services we provide to the men and women who served on our behalf.”

UMES has a long history of producing graduates who go on to serve in the military as well as educating veterans returning to the civilian world.